Biblioteca cannábica

WHO recommends changing the status of cannabis

Withdrawal of cannabis from List IV about dangerous drugs

More than half a century has been necessary for the WHO (World Health Organization) to recommend the removal of cannabis from the List IV where this plant is equated with substances and hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine or LSD. Although six decades have been necessary for this organization to finally understand that cannot be put at the same level cannabis and the rest of hard drugs, it is a question of common sense and, therefore, this step forward is worthy of praise that many people will benefit.

At least it has been asked by Director General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom, in a letter dated January, 24, 2019, on which different arguments were exposed, that was addressed to Secretary General of UN, Antonio Guterres.

The organization explicitly asks for the withdrawal of cannabis from list IV, made by the Convention on narcotics of United Nations, because the list is the most restrictive about drugs and it was written in 1961. The mentioned list includes cannabis as an ”harmful substance and with limited medical benefits”.

The countries that signed the list IV consider cannabis a dangerous drug without medical properties. However, from the moment relevant and serious countries such as Canada and USA legalized medical marijuana, and eventually recreational too, many other countries that had signed the inclusion of cannabis in the list IV, as Argentine, for example, changed their opinion. In fact, the Governor of Jujuy, Argentine, is now developing the largest cannabis project in the world. Because, the truth finally imposes and the consideration of cannabis as a drug like heroin is stupid. Moreover, there are economic interests derived from legal weed.

Fortunately, United Nations have required an urgent requalification about the prohibition of cannabis and the products derived from it after recognizing its medical properties to treat pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and many other disorders.

Through the letter that Tedros Adhanom sent to Antonio Guterres, the UN demand to vote the subject. If everything is right, the vote will take place during the period of sessions number 62 of the commission of narcotics celebrated the next march in the city of Vienna.

No doubt we are facing one of the most relevant decisions of WHO by positioning in that sense because the withdrawal of list IV could change the life, health and even economic situation of many people.

The new position is the consequence of an important meeting among drug experts from WHO. After many debates and through analysis of the situation, they decided to endorse cannabis as medicine for thousands of people who were subjected to pain treatments and suffered from the previously mentioned diseases with very good results.

The WHO demands that both cannabis and the products derived from it be withdrawn from list IV and be included in list I, that is far less restrictive. We will have to wait until March to see the result. But the experts expect that common sense will prevail in Vienna.